Although it's not much fun or something most of us enjoy, a certain level of anxiety is appropriate and healthy under various circumstances.
With that said, here's a disturbing statistic -- it's estimated that 18% of the adult U.S. population (over 40 million of us) suffer from anxiety.
Well, the next time anxiety is messing up your life, try one or more of the following five tips.
Slower Breathing
Most people who suffer anxiety or panic attacks breathe very shallowly. So when you feel anxious, inhale slowly and deeply and then exhale slowly and deeply. Continue slow breathing like this until you feel less stressed.
Look Up
Interestingly enough, a scientific study confirms that when you look down, you dive deeper into your feelings, and plenty of anxiety and panic lives in feelings. So to overcome anxiety, keep your head steady and look up for a bit, without straining.
Slow Down that Brain of Yours
If you, like most modern people, think in rapid bursts, consciously slow down mentally and formulate your thoughts in complete sentences. If you're speaking, slow the flow of words bursting out of your mouth and lower your voice to a deeper, calmer tone. You'll be surprised at the calm and peaceful mental state that comes from practicing these two simple tips.
Exercise Your Body
Everyone already knows this, but, alas, most people don't do it. So if anxiety's messing up your life, make time and start a regular exercise program because exercise endorphins will reduce muscle tension, lower stress hormones, and improve the quality of healing sleep.
Change Your Perspective
This one is so simple most people will dismiss it as being irrelevant. Big mistake. The tip works, so try it. The next time you feel anxious or panic, mentally scream in your mind "Switch off!" and take a long, slow deep breath. By the time you finishing inhaling, the anxiety will be greatly reduced or gone altogether. With consistent practice, this tip provides amazing results.
Okay, that's it for today. If you have a natural anxiety relief tip you'd like to share, click on the "Post a comment" link below and start typing.
Chet "Anxiety Free" Day
Editor, The Natural Health Circus
http://chetday.com/blog
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Overcoming anxiety is no small task.
ReplyDeleteIt takes practice and a lot of hard work.
I used to have panic attacks once a week
due to my high anxiety, so I definitely feel
for you. Fortunately, I can do a lot more
for you than empathize.
By utilizing the techiques below, I was slowly
able to gain control over my anxiety and stop
my panic attacks from occuring. If you
exercise these techiques regularly, you too
will see great improvements in anxiety,
tension and stress.
Breathing:
As the anxiety creeps up, begin to count in
your head. Count 1,2,3,4 -- 1,2,3,4 -- 1,2,3,4
pausing on the dashes and so on.
You're not going to actually say or
even think the numbers. You're going
to breath the numbers.
Take a deep breath in through your
nose for the 1 and 2. Then take a
deep breath out through your mouth
for the 3 and 4. Practice this routine
for a few minutes a day until it
becomes an automated exercise for you.
Practicing really helps a lot.
Practice in a controlled environment.
I used to practice before bed. When
panic does hit, this self-defense
mechanism kicks in without effort.
Control Your Thinking:
When you have negative thoughts,
negative things will come into your
life. Conversely when you have positive
thoughts, positive things will come
into your life.
That's because thoughts steer the
direction of your life.
The same holds true in moments of high
anxiety. It's important during these
times to monitor your thoughts and
make sure you force calming ideas
and images into your head.
Nothing is really as bad as it seems and ten
years from now,this particularly stressful
situation won't exist - so control your
thinking to avoid your mind from falling
into a negative thought spiral.
As soon as you have a negative thought,
throw it out of your head and
counterbalance yourself with a
positive or optimistic thought.
This is a hard one, but after
you monitor your thoughts for
a week or two, you begin to think
more positive in general.
These two tactics helped me a lot.
Other helpful ideas are:
- Participat in Therapy
- Talk to someone you trust
- Exercise (cardio works best)
- Yoga
- Stretching
- Reading
- Meditation
- Take a hot shower
- Go for a Walk
- Listen to Music
For more Great Tips,
CHECK OUT:
www.Stop-Anxiety-Panic-Attack.com
Great post. Some natural anxiety remedies to look into are St.John's Wort, SAMe, L-Theanine, and Tryptophan. There's also cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and programs like Panic Away and The Linden Method, to name a few. Hope this helps!
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